The Pastoral Epistles: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus

On today’s episode, we, your hosts the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill, discuss the Pastoral epistles – so called because "Paul" provides pastoral guidance to the recipients. Why are there quotation marks around Paul? We’ll get to that. These letters include: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.

The episode starts with a discussion about why there is so much agreement (though not unanimity) about these letters having an author or authors other than Paul. The evidence includes the language, context, concerns, and theological differences in these three letters versus the other works which people believe Paul wrote. We define and discuss the common ancient practice of pseudepigraphy – where people wrote in the style of and under the name of a famous person.

We discuss the ways in which these texts demonstrate the organizational development of the early church, with pastoral offices named including deacon (seen in Acts), priest, and bishop. Along with new pastoral offices, these letters show that the time these letters were written in also brought new concerns including new controversies and opposition forces. We discuss the difficulty of patriarchy and slavery, how this new Christian community tries to be seen as legitimate in within their cultural context, and the other Christian communities which existed at that time.

This leads into a discussion of how “faith” is defined and used. We also discuss what scripture is and what it means to be “inspired.” We even get into a minor conversation on the criteria used by ancient church councils to decide what would eventually end up in the Bible that you hold. Throughout all of this we also wrestle with whether God and our understanding of God should be simple.

During serious conversation there are lighthearted moments about the interstitium, Dan Brown novels and conspiracies, fun facts about the Muratorian fragment, and the Good News we find even within difficult texts. Finally, while it might have seemed frivolous, we had some serious conversation about extra-terrestrial aliens, "clankers," Aslan, and Christ’s salvation for all.

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Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠⁠ ⁠If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at ⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

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